Rabbits From My Hat.

She seems to be trying pretty hard to get a rabbit out of that hat…

I kind of feel the same way…about two things. Today’s quick sketch, based on the Zatanna statue by Adam Hughes in my study, is about that feeling. About trying to get at something that you just can’t seem to get a hold of, in a deceptively small arena, like a top hat.

Zatanna, by the way, is one of my absolute favorite DC Comics characters. She’s a magician who has the magic power to make anything that she says backwards just happen. Arguably, before reaching into the hat, she should have shouted “Tibbar raeppa!” and then gone rooting around in the hat. I have no idea what would happen if she tried to make a race car appear, since race car is a palindrome. I mean…she should get the car, sure…except there’s nothing magic about the word. A regular Honda should be easier to make appear, or a specific race car. Just saying.

Anyway…we have been having these after school “planning sessions”, where the teachers get together, and ostensibly prepare lessons for the first few weeks of the school year to begin in August. That’s a great idea on paper…but really, right now, I have a whole mess of paperwork to do, and a classroom to take down. Putting it simply, there isn’t all that much proverbial gas left in the tank for planning those lessons. I wasn’t even motivated to draw during the profoundly boring two hours…I just sort of mentally checked out, and periodically returned with some kind of pedagogical guidance. In short…I just could not find that planning rabbit in the metaphorical hat.

Today will have part two of that same concept, so I shudder to think of what will go on there. At least I realize that I will have to get something drawn during that time frame…the meeting is my largest block of free time for the day. Although, if all goes according to plan, my grades will be finalized during the day, and I will be able to print out the few things I need to turn in for the gradebook, and organize them as the day goes on.

The other thing that seems to be a metaphorical “looking for the rabbit in the hat” is DC’s “Rebirth.” I felt I should have a DC character that I like in play in order to make that point. DC Comics is making every effort to recapture the tone that they had put aside for the New 52, and also hopes to regain market share and readership by that move. Having read “Rebirth” and some of the “relaunch” issues after it…it feels like they are still editorially searching for that voice, and not exactly finding it. Like Zatanna above, they are gamely determined to do that search, and have a positive attitude about it…but really, it doesn’t look like they are going to come up with what they want.

I also felt like a vaguely magic themed post was on point because I will be having the last few meetings of our informal, unofficial Magic: The Gathering club at school in the next few days. I have thoroughly enjoyed that, and will miss it over the summer.

Still…the work problems are small, and based solely in the feeling that the year is DONE, and I could use some break time as much as my students. These are problems to have.